Claim Settled for Surgical Packing Left Inside Surgery

Posted on: February 28th, 2016 by Editor

A woman has settled her claim for the failure to remove surgical packing after she gave birth to her son in 2012.

When Elise Cattle, then aged twenty-seven, had her son Freddie in the Hull Women and Children’s Hospital in August 2012 she suffered extreme abdominal pain, bleeding and infections. It was so extreme that she was unable to care for her new child, and unable to change or bathe her son she missed out on vital time with her child whilst her parents took care of him.

For five months after the treatment of the GP, Elise was finally referred to a specialist. After an examination, the surgeon discovered that surgical packaging – used during the birth to stem bleeding – had been left inside of her. Once this was removed, the pains Elise had been experiencing had disappeared.

After seeking legal counsel, Elise made a claim for medical negligence against the Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust. An investigation followed, and the trust acknowledged that mistakes had been made in Elise’s care. Negotiations ensued, and a £7,500 in compensation was paid to Elise.

In a comment to her local paper after the announcement of the settlement, Elise said that “When I got home from hospital, the pain just got worse and worse. I couldn’t sit down for days afterwards, and had to use a rubber ring to sit on. I was laid on the sofa while my mum and dad did everything. It really affected my bond with Freddie. I felt like I’d failed him.”

Elise’s legal representatives added that iIt is accepted by the NHS that these errors are being made simply because healthcare staff and providers are not following clear, simple guidelines.” Mike Wright, the Chief Nurse for the Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, also spoke to the paper: “ events are rare, but when mistakes do happen, we are committed to being open and honest about them” Mr Wright told reporters.